Taunton Goes Ahead

Today we have three meetings taking place - two jumps cards at Wetherby and Taunton (who have passed a 7.30am inspection) as well as an all-weather flat card at Southwell.  The stable has one runner, Davy Doubt in the bumper at Taunton at 4.50pm.  He is an Irish point-to-point winner who showed definite promise when runner-up in a Wincanton National Hunt flat race on heavy ground - he is certainly a nice ride for conditional jockey Kieron Edgar who claims 7lbs off his back.

Today we have three meetings taking place - two jumps cards at Wetherby and Taunton (who have passed a 7.30am inspection) as well as an all-weather flat card at Southwell.  The stable has one runner, Davy Doubt in the bumper at Taunton at 4.50pm.  He is an Irish point-to-point winner who showed definite promise when runner-up in a Wincanton National Hunt flat race on heavy ground - he is certainly a nice ride for conditional jockey Kieron Edgar who claims 7lbs off his back.

It sounds obvious but one of my golden rules when backing horses is to side with the best jockey in amateur riders' races and that rule would have paid off yesterday as Fair Breeze won the amateur jockeys' race under Mr S Walker.  Along with Miss S Brotherton (who finished second), they are head and shoulders above their contemporaries in amateur riders' races.

There was a bit of a turn up when 2/7 favourite Masterful Act was beaten by useful hurdler/chaser Hazy Tom in a jumpers bumper at Southwell yesterday - the good thing appeared to be outstayed.

*****

There was a fitting tribute to Terry Biddlecombe at Cheltenham yesterday and all of the big names in the game turned out to remember him.  There is a great picture in today's Post with MCP and Carol with Henrietta Knight - it was like an 'All Our Yesterday's' in the racing world with Bill Smith, Stan Mellor, Mercy Rimell and many more.  I bet there were some good stories going around - probably plenty that could not even be told publicly!

Martin and Carol travelled by helicopter and  took an amazing aerial picture of the floods on the Somerset levels.  You have to feel sorry for those poor people affected by this.

*****

We have some exciting football action on tonight with the European Champions League on ITV at 7.45pm.  Manchester City take on Barcelona and there is plenty of other British interest in the tournament with Spurs, Chelsea and Arsenal - you just wonder if there is too much football nowadays...my wife would say there is!

*****

The world golf matchplay starts tomorrow at Dove Mountain and I see that bookmakers have Rory McIlroy as favourite.  It's a shame that Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are not taking part.